By Angela Chen
Amgen Inc. said Thursday that a trial of its Vectibix showed
positive survival results in patients with a certain type of
colorectal cancer.
The phase 3 trial compared the survival benefit of Vectibix, or
panitumumab, in a group of patients with chemorefractory wild-type
KRAS colorectal cancer. Patients were randomized to receive either
Vectibix and best supportive care every two weeks, or best
supportive care alone. More patients taking the treatment survived
compared to those who had not.
Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer
and the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women
in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Vectibix in 2006 as a
treatment for a different type of colorectal cancer than the one in
the most recent study.
Shares of Amgen, up about 0.2% after the close, are roughly flat
this year.
Write to Angela Chen at angela.chen@wsj.com
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